Microsoft's browser-based dev toolbox: How 'Monaco' came to be

What's the former technical lead on Eclipse Java development tools been doing at Microsoft for the past three years? Building a browser-based development toolset.

From All About Microsoft:

In 2011, Microsoft made a high-profile hire. Former IBMer and technical lead on Eclipse Java development tools, Erich Gamma, joined the company to work on an unspecified project. Microsoft officials said he'd open a lab in Zurich, Switzerland. And that's about all they revealed.erichgamma

Now we know what Microsoft Distinguished Engineer Gamma's been doing for the past 2.5 years. He's been working to develop a subset of Visual Studio that would work in not just IE, but also other "modern" browsers, including Safari and Chrome. A first preview release of Gamma's project, codenamed "Monaco" -- which is completely different from this other Microsoft codename "Monaco" -- debuted last week.